Mount Wachusett bunker coming down

PRINCETON — The Wachusett Mountain Parkway will be closed to visitors Thursday.

Contractors working with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation will remove the former communications bunker from the summit parking area.

The removal is expected to begin in the morning and last through the afternoon.

The parkway will reopen once the work is finished.

A crane is expected to arrive around 7 a.m. and set up in the summit parking lot.

The communications bunker was located near the old fire tower, which was removed during the restoration project but the shelter remained. The old fire tower was built in 1966, and was replaced with an 80-foot steel fire tower with a 12-foot high, fully accessible observation deck.

The removal of the communications bunker is one of the final pieces of the $8.4 million Wachusett Mountain Parkway Rehabilitation and Summit Restoration Project. The project, which was officially deemed complete in 2012, improved traffic flow, accessibility and public safety.

Contact Donna Boynton at Donna.Boynton@telegram.com or follow her on Twitter @DonnaBoyntonTG